There were 442 fewer fatal Florida car accidents and Texas saw 405 fewer fatal car crashes. Overall, 41 states, Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico each experienced a drop in fatalities. In tandem with the drop in fatal car accidents and fewer injuries, the number of alcohol-related car accident deaths dropped more than 7 percent.
The NHTSA Administrator David Strickland attributes much of the decline to seat belt use and aggressive anti-drunk driving enforcement campaigns. “But we are still losing more than 30,000 lives a year on our highways, and about a third of these involve drunk driving. We will continue to work with our state partners to strictly enforce both seat belt use and anti-drunk driving laws across this nation, every day and every night.”

According to the NHTSA, motorcyclist fatalities broke a decade-long increase in fatal crashes with a 24 percent decline and now account for 13 percent of total vehicle-related fatalities. Passenger car, light truck and large-truck vehicles also each saw significant drops.

Still, despite the overall downward trend, car accidents remain the leading cause of death for Americans aged 3-34, and more drivers and passengers need to buckle up. More than half of those killed in fatal car accidents were not wearing a seat belt.Fort Lauderdale car accident attorneys at Freeman & Mallard have been successfully and aggressively representing car accident victims and their families in Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, and Ft. Pierce /Port St. Lucie for years. Call us today to schedule a no-obligation appointment to discuss your case at 1-800-529-2368.